Raccoon In Attic Problems

Wildlife can do a lot of damage to homes
when attempting to get into attics, and raccoons are certainly no exception.
Proper repairs and exclusion methods will be a must once they have been removed.
The Wildlife Whisperer can help you with all your wildlife removal, attic repair and damage control requirements,
as well as help you with preventative measures too.

Causes, Prevention And Solutions

A raccoon in your attic is not something you want to ignore or take lightly.
Once inside, they
can damage and soil the insulation, tear up wires and create all kinds of havoc. They
can also bring lice, fleas and ringworm with them when they set up house.

Unfortunately, raccoons love to get into attics. This area of your home provides them with warmth, comfort and shelter.
The raccoon in the photo below was sleeping peacefully in a homeowner's attic when it was discovered
by The Wildlife Whisperer.

A lot of people are surprised by the fact that raccoons have such a strong urge to invade attics
when it is warm outside and there are so many other places they can live, but there are a variety of
reasons why raccoons prefer an attic environment. Understanding those reasons is an important
part of preventing raccoon problems in your home.

Why Raccoons Love Attics

There are several things that can give a raccoon incentive to move into your attic.
Often it is the scent left behind by other animals that have gained access.
Many buildings get raccoons in the attic after first
having the other wildlife problems and ignoring the signs and attic sounds.

Birds In An Attic AttractSquirrels Into The Area AndThen That Attracts Raccoons

If you have discovered squirrels, birds or any other wildlife in your attic, it will be important to
clean up the mess and repair the damage, including droppings, soiled insulation and nesting materials.
It will be important to have any scents they
may have left behind professionally removed by a knowledgeable wildlife professional
to reduce the chance of attracting raccoons due to previous wildlife residents.

Pigeon droppingsin attic 3' deep

Bird's nestin vent

Previous wildlife life issues such as squirrel and woodpecker problems can leave holes or
other damage behind too, holes and damage that could be inviting to raccoons to utilize for entry.

For instance, the photo below is a good example.
This particular homeowner explained that first she had woodpeckers peck a hole in the siding,
then birds started nesting in the hole, then squirrels moved in and made the hole
larger. After another year passed, the hole got larger and the raccoons moved in, getting rid
of everybody else in the attic.

When it comes to keeping raccoons out of the attic, it is always helpful to take away as many
temptations as you can, but one the best
things you can do is make it difficult
for them to get in to start with.

Keeping Raccoons Out

Proper proofing methods are an important part of our successful raccoon control services.
This includes knowing where and how to protect vulnerable points of entry for raccoons.

Soffit and fascia vents, such as those shown below, are one of the most common entry points
for wildlife invading attics.

Vent Easily Torn OpenBy A Determined Raccoon

Many roof vents, although necessary to allow your roof to breath, must be covered to
prevent wildlife entry.
We can make the necessary modifications to your home to help protect your vents.

The photo below to the left shows a flimsier, weaker kind of vent screen that has been torn up by wildlife.
The photo below to the right shows the result of us simply placing 1/4" hardware cloth over the existing vent.

Vent DamagedBy Wildlife

"Ugly Option"Proofed Vent

Vent can be painted to match your house or you can simply employ what we call "The Ugly Option".
Although we gave this method a less than flattering nickname, the "ugly option", as shown below,
really isn't that
ugly at all - it's just a little bit more noticable.

`

Many clients prefer using this modification once the invading wildlife has been removed.
Clients also like
the fact that this exclusion method combined with previously evicting wildlife and their babies
via one way doors, can be a much less expensive route compared to trapping alone.

Roof vents can be vulnerable to raccoon damage and entry too, if
raccoons want into your attic, they're able to pop standard
vents off a roof like the cap off of a bottle of soda unless you have these installed.
We have the vent covers you need to protect your roof.

If damage control repairs and modifications are too labor intensive,
we can manage contractors to do it for you. Usually when we are done, the average
homeowner cannot easily see what we have done until we point it out. Our intention is to be
discreet and effective with our repairs.

Removal And Follow Up

There are several time proven methods which are effective for removing raccoons from the attic.
We can evict them from any building, and make it so that they cannot get back in via repairs and reinforcements.

Because breeding and gestation periods vary, it is also important that we inspect
your attic after the raccoons have been excluded from your home. A nest of baby
raccoons will not only die, but it will put your family in a hotel
because of the smell of dead decaying wild animals.

`

If you live in Cape Coral, Sanibel Island, Pine Island,
Fort Myers or other surrounding communities in Southwest Florida,
the Wildlife Whisperer can help you with all your raccoon control needs
from start to finish.

We believe in being proactive by proofing your home now, before you
have a problem, rather than later after they have moved in and done their damage.
This is one of our specialties and we would be happy to help.

The Damage A Raccoon Can Do To An Attic

When raccoons have been present in your attic, particularly for while, you can certainly expect to
encounter large amounts of feces piled up on the attic insulation, as seen in the photo below.
It is best to let a professional handle the clean up as raccoon feces can contain roundworm. Raccoons
tend to defecate in certain designated areas called "toilets".

The four photos below
are a good example of how the damage
caused by raccoons in your attic may not necessarily be restricted to the attic itself. Often the damage
left behind is on the outside of the home and
has to do with what the raccoons have done to gain entry. Damage resulting from entry attempts can manifest
itself in all sorts
of ways including damage to roofing, siding, chimneys and walls.

Above photos, from left to right, then top to bottom. The first photograph shows a raccoon's ability
to tear wood away from walls and homes. The second photo shows how easily raccoons can tear right through
a soffit vent. The third is an example of territorial marking, in this case, the raccoons
have left feces on a roof to designate that home as part of their territory. And the fourth photo is damage to
the side of a chimney.

If your attic has received damage from raccoons, The Wildlife Whisperer can remove the raccoons, clean up behind them and
make the necessary repairs and modifications to keep them out for good.

Humane wildlife control, pest control and prevention, done right the 1st time.

Please help support our friends at
Wild Heart Ranch - a 501(c)(3)
wildlife rehabilitation facility. Even the smallest of donations
can help save an animal's life. You can donate above or visit
WildHeartRanch.org to learn more.